New industry standards reached with release of AirDefense Enterprise 7.3

By Janine de Blois

Wireless security experts, AirDefense, has launched “AirDefense Enterprise 7.3”, featuring the industry’s first software only Spectrum Analysis. Used to examine 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies, it gives IT administrators a cost effective remote means of monitoring trouble spots by identifying possible non-802.11 sources of interference. It also features an updated Advanced Forensics tool that enables administrators to monitor wireless security and performance events over the course of weeks, months, or even years. A new Centralized Management Console (CMC) and new appliance models simplify monitoring for even the largest organizations.

“Spectrum Analysis is a revolutionary addition to the AirDefense Enterprise platform as it can quickly identify and help eliminate wireless LAN performance issues that otherwise hinder essential business applications,” said Mike Potts, president and CEO, AirDefense. “With the addition of Spectrum Analysis and a host of additional features to AirDefense Enterprise 7.3, the company is building new world-class features on top of our best-of-breed wireless intrusion prevention platform to produce an overall solution that is unrivaled in the industry today.”

Potential sources of wireless interference include Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, wireless cameras and microwave ovens. Often intermittent and difficult to pinpoint, non-802.11 interference can require wireless engineers to make costly trips to remote locations. The Spectrum Analysis works with all AirDefense sensor models and requires no specialized hardware. It is designed to remotely troubleshoot issues and reduce the number of physical site visits required to resolve problems before critical business services are affected.

Philippe Winthrop, research director, wireless & mobility at the Aberdeen Group said, “Enhancing the performance of a WLAN is predicated on the ability to measure usage and prioritize key applications as necessary. Aberdeen’s research reveals that only 29% of Industry Average organizations currently have this capability. Taking measures to increase network visibility through the use of WLAN monitoring solutions to identify things such as bottlenecks in network data flow or the source of delays in application response times will equip a company with the necessary information to further the business intelligence in making the right decisions regarding which applications to deploy, and how to best prioritize them.”

With Advanced Forensics, AirDefense Enterprise is able to provide a comprehensive view of the wireless LAN. Storing and managing 325 data points per device, per minute for each wireless device, it allows administrators to rewind and review detailed records of threats and device behavior.

The CMC enable administrators to manage deployments with tens of thousands of sensors from one central console. Multiple appliances can be synchronized to ensure consistent, secure deployment. Tasks such as searching for wireless devices, configuring alarm settings, and checking for policy consistency across multiple appliances can all be done from a single console. AirDefense Enterprise scales to support single offices as well as organizations with hundreds of locations around the globe.